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Under its Women in Counter-Terrorism component, the EU-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Global Terrorism Threats Facility (the Facility) organized a localization workshop on 4¨C5 June 2026 with the Government of Kenya¡¯s National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and Anti-Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU). The Facility is a joint initiative of the European Union (EU) and the United Nations, implemented by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT. Its Women in Counter-Terrorism component, launched in 2025, aims to strengthen the full, equal, meaningful, and safe participation and leadership of women in counter-terrorism policy and operational roles.
Held at the National Criminal Investigation Academy in Nairobi, the workshop launched the Facility¡¯s engagement with the ATPU aimed at identifying opportunities to advance the participation and representation of women within the institution. A team of NCTC and ATPU representatives was designated to undertake a self-assessment to identify the barriers and opportunities faced by women, using a toolkit developed by the Facility. The findings of the self-assessment will inform the formulation of recommendations for institutional reform and guide the provision of tailored technical assistance designed to strengthen diversity and gender equality within the ATPU.
Toolkit: Strengthening Women¡¯s Opportunities and Trajectories in Counter-Terrorism and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism
Building on existing guidance and best practices from gender equality initiatives in the security sector and related fields, the toolkit provides a practical, institution-led methodology for assessing barriers and opportunities for women¡¯s participation, tailored to the specific operational realities of institutions in charge of counter-terrorism and preventing and countering violent extremism.
The self-assessment is designed as an internal institution-led process, carried out by a team of representatives designated by the institution. Upon request, the Facility provides mentoring and advisory support throughout the process. All data remain with the institution and are intended to inform tailored recommendations to strengthen women¡¯s participation and leadership by addressing policies, practices, and structures across key areas, including: entry, career progression and retention, operational readiness, workplace safety, professional development; and institutional leadership and culture.
Localizing the Toolkit
During the workshop, the designated team localized the toolkit to the context and operational realities of Kenya¡¯s National Police Service and the ATPU and discussed how the self-assessment would be implemented in practice. The discussions covered the roles and responsibilities of the designated team, data protection and ethical safeguarding considerations, and gender¨Csensitive, participatory data-collection approaches.
At the end of the two-month data collection period, a validation workshop will be held, at which the findings and proposed recommendations will be presented to ATPU leadership and used to inform tailored technical assistance to strengthen women¡¯s participation and leadership within the institution.